I wasn't planning on writing a post about Alexander Hamilton, but sometimes inspiration just comes quite unexpectedly. During my summer of American Revolution appreciation, I've read various books, watched movies and TV shows, and played video games pertaining to the era. My first biographical study I wrote was about the life of Ben Franklin which I learned mostly from his autobiography. The second was the biography of George Washington which was inspired from David McCullough's book, 1776. Now this third biographical study pertaining to the founding fathers, will be about Alexander Hamilton. As for the inspiration, well that is almost entirely another post, but I will detail it here in brief.
Before I get to what inspired me to write this post, I will first share what I knew before about Alexander Hamilton. I knew he was one of the main founding fathers of the country along with George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Although he never became president he played a significant role in the establishment of the federal government during Washington's presidency. However sadly I have more associated his name with the famous duel he had with Aaron Burr that cost his life. Despite his death at an early age, Hamilton established a legacy for his name that is celebrated today thru many monuments as well as his face on the 10$ bill.
Now what inspired me to make a deep study into his life was watching the 2015 musical Hamilton. I have heard of this critically acclaimed Broadway Musical for several years now and just watched it for my first time on Disney Plus a couple months ago. Honestly the first time I watched it I was not very impressed with it's unique hip-hop style. Nothing against bebop and rap, but with musicals I usually prefer the traditional harmony and show-tune format. Also it was very long at a resounding 3 hours and eventually lost my full attention half way in. However just a week ago I gave this musical another try as I am still in the midst of my fascination with the American Revolution. And this time I got a better understanding of the setting, the characters, and the remarkably interesting story of Alexander Hamilton.
The musical was written and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda a major up-and-comer known for his musical work of In the Heights, Moana, Mary Poppins, and the Disney Star Wars films. Miranda was inspired to create this musical from reading Ron Chernow's 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton. I also hope to someday read this book, but for now I derive most my understanding of Hamilton's life from the musical. The play depicts Hamilton's ambitious rise to the top, as an orphan immigrant from the Caribbean islands who studies law in New York. From the on-set it is clear that his own ambition is his downfall as he establishes a rivalry with notable figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The musical also brings new light to his partnership with George Washington, which I was not aware that Hamilton was Washington's political right-hand man. The show also gives a deep insight into his personal life and his marriage to Eliza Schuyler.
Although I still probably wouldn't have this musical in my top 10 favorites, (not quite at the level of Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, or even Greatest Showman) I am starting to enjoy it more and more. While the musical numbers mostly have a catchy be-bop style there are also elements of traditional show tune harmony. I especially enjoy the songs "Dear Theodisa" and "Quiet Uptown" with the beautiful singing of Phillipa Soo. However what I enjoy most about this musical is the in-depth historical account of the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton. So now just as I did with Ben Franklin and George Washington, I'm going to run thru the various phases of his life from beginning to end.
Early Life in the Caribbean
Alexander Hamilton was born in the Caribbean Islands of Nevis in 1755, in the city of Charlestown. He was born out of wedlock to a British/French mother named Rachel Faucette and a Scotsman lord named James Hamilton. However his father James quickly abandoned Alexander due to the scandalous affair and left his mother to raise him Alexander. She relocated to the Virgin Islands, and established a store in the city of Christansted, St. Croix. However in 1768 at the age of 13, Alexander's mother died of the yellow fever leaving him as an orphan.
As a young teenager Alexander found work as a clerk at a local import-export company. He quickly developed a knack for business trade and during this time he began an interest in reading books and writing. Although he was not properly educated he excelled early in the skill of writing, and in 1772 he published a letter in the Royal Danish-American Gazette which brought him great attention in the Caribbean. His essay pertaining to a hurricane that had hit the island of Nevis, was the catalyst that launched him to bigger things. The community leaders collected a fund to send Alexander to study abroad in New York.
Arrival and Education in New York
Alexander Hamilton arrived in Boston in 1772, then traveled to New York where he found residency with Hercules Mulligan (who was a member of the Sons of Liberty and later became a spy during the Revolutionary War). Alexander found work in the city as cargo merchant and enrolled in a preparatory school in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. During this time he took the liking of a very influential politician and revolutionist William Livingston (who later became governor of New Jersey from 1776-1790). It was perhaps thru this association that Hamilton was able to enroll in the prestigious King's College of New York in 1774 (which would later become the Ivy League school of Colombia).
During his time at Colombia University, Hamilton established a literary and debate society, that became the famous Philolexian Society (one of the oldest student groups in the country). He also began publishing political essays in opposition to British taxes and loyalist ideals. It was during this time that Hamilton partook in the patriotic fervor spreading throughout Boston, New York, and the colonies. He was more than eager to join the revolution in some capacity and establish a new legacy for his name. Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord in mid 1775, Hamilton joined the New York militia and his law practice came to a pause as he began his military service with the Continental Army.
Service in American Revolutionary War
Hamilton and the other students of King's College established the volunteer regiment known as the Hearts of Oak. He quickly transformed his interests away from legal practice and onto military tactics which brought him a promotion to captain. He later led a successful raid on British cannons, which established the Hearts of Oak as an artillery company. The regiment took part in defending the British Siege of Boston in 1776 as well as the victorious Continental victories at Trenton and Princeton in 1777. He later refused invitations to work for Nathaniel Greene and Alexander McDougall, however could not pass up a request from General Washington to become his aid as lieutenant colonel.
Although Hamilton preferred to fight on the battlefields with glory and honor he quickly garnished the trust of General Washington as his chief staff aide. This was more office work, located in the general's headquarters, that required writing letters to Congress and other prominent leaders. He also wrote letters pertaining to secret intelligence as well as diplomatic emissaries to France. During this time he established a strong correspondence with his fellow aides-de-camp Marquis de Lafayette and John Laurens from South Carolina. In December of 1778 Hamilton supported John Laurens in a duel with General Charles Lee for slandering Washington's name.
Hamilton served for four years in Washington's aide-de-camp office, however he grew more and more frustrated to have a field command. This later led to arguments between Washington and Hamilton, which resulted in Alexander returning home to his wife Eliza. Hamilton continued to write to Washington after this asking for a field command, by which Washington would tell him he wasn't qualified enough. Eventually however Washington did give in, and assigned him the command of a light infantry battalion from New York. Hamilton aligned his battalions with the French armies to storm the British fort of Redoubts, during the Siege of Yorktown. The capture of this fort was the major turning point that caused the British surrender at Yorktown and ultimately the end of the war. Although the French played a bigger role in this battle, Hamilton finally had ascertained the field glory he was after.
Law Practice in New York
By March of 1782 with the war coming to an end, Hamilton resigned his position in the military and returned to New York to finish his study of law. Within six months he had passed the legal bar exam and accepted a post working for the New York Congress of Confederation. This was the new branch of congress that replaced the Continental Congress in ordinance with the Articles of Confederation. However despite his proud role to litigate for his new nation, Hamilton was an early critic of this constitutional government early on. He essentially felt it gave states too much independence from one another, and felt there should be more of a unified government.
During his legal practice in New York, Hamilton mostly defended loyalists and British soldiers. He helped re-instate King's College which took on it's new Ivy League name of Colombia College. He also in 1784 founded the Bank of New York, which has become the oldest still-existing bank in America. Alexander married Elizabeth Schuyler the wealthy daughter of General Philip Schuyler (who later became senator of New York from 1789-1791). During their residency in New York, Alexander and Eliza had 8 children, including their elder son Philip (who would die at the very young age of 19 in a duel).
Hamilton also worked vigorously to improve soldier funding and threatened congress that if they did not provide the funds the military could lead a coup. Washington however, always the level-headed compromiser, refused to use the army as leverage and found a middle ground between Congress and the military reparations. This however did not fully solve the agitation among Continental soldiers who continued to threaten the congress for better pay. Thus Hamilton furthered his call for a new federal government that could collect taxes and establish an army. Hamilton also introduced the idea of separating the three major branches of power; legislative, executive, and judicial. This paved the way for his key involvement in the US Constitution.
Constitution and The Federalist Papers
The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia in May of 1787 and was intended as an amendment to the Articles of Confederation Convention. However key figures such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton sought to establish an entirely new system of government. George Washington was chosen to preside over the assembly, and sided with Madison and Hamilton's desire to establish a new federal constitution. Hamilton was at odds with the other delegates from New York who favored more state authority. Furthermore Hamilton pushed for a president-for-life, whose power could be balanced by impeachment if need-be. This idea was also shared by John Adams, however ultimately was considered too similar to the British monarchy and rejected by James Madison and even the future president, Washington himself.
While not fully satisfied with the draft of the Constitution, Hamilton still felt it a major improvement from the Articles of Confederation and thus signed it. He then worked tirelessly to urge other congressional delegates to ratify this new constitution. It was during this time in October of 1787 that Hamilton along with James Madison and John Jay began to publish a series of essays defending the new constitution known as the Federalist Papers. The essays were published anonymously in the Independent Journal under the pseudonym of Publius. Hamilton oversaw the project and wrote 51 essays while James Madison wrote 29 and John Jay wrote 5. This became the start of the nation's first political party, the Federalists. Hamilton finally achieved his goal when the Constitution was officially ratified on June 21st, 1788.
US Secretary of Treasury
With the establishment of the new United States government in 1789, George Washington was chosen as the first president. Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton as the US Secretary of Treasury and also served as the president's chief consultant. It was during his tenure as Secretary that Hamilton established the administration of the government, much the reason he is considered a founding father. As the overseer of finance he established the first national bank, the public credit, the production of coinage, the establishment of currency, industrial manufacturing, as well as the trade of imports-and-exports. To contain coastal smuggling and piracy he established the Revenue Cutter Service which served as a coastal police force and the predecessor to the present day enforcement branch known as the US Coastal Guard.
However despite his alliance with the most powerful and respected man in the nation, President Washington, Hamilton made many enemies during his tenure as secretary. This especially included Thomas Jefferson, who had returned from his post of ambassador to France to serve as Washington's Secretary of State. Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed on various political matters pertaining to federal vs state authority, federal taxes, and foreign intervention. In response to Hamilton's Federalist party, Jefferson and Madison formed the Democratic-Republican Party. The first major political opposition came in response to Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey which led to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. While the US Army was able to squash the resistance, it demonstrated new internal conflicts within the young nation.
The political arena reached an even greater tension during the French Revolutionary Wars. Hamilton felt the nation should stay neutral during France's military engagement with Britain, while Jefferson felt the US should offer support to France, in return for the help that France had provided the US during the American Revolutionary War. Ultimately however President Washington sided with Hamilton and felt the nation was not quite prepared for a foreign war. This led to the John Jay Treaty of 1795 which established American neutrality and opened trade with Britain once again. This agreement infuriated France as well as Thomas Jefferson who resigned his post as Secretary of State shortly after.
Shortly after the John Jay Treaty, Washington came to the decision that he would not seek a third term. This came to a great disappointing shock to Hamilton, who had hoped Washington would preside for life. Washington however had grown weary of the political infighting furthermore wanted to set a precedent against the abuse of executive power. Hamilton thus also resigned from the office of Secretary and helped write Washington's Farewell Address which he delivered in 1796.
While Hamilton left public office to return to the private sector, he was still very much invested in the political governing of the nation. He thus intended to coordinate Washington's replacement with the candidate of his choice, the popular general and Federalist from South Carolina, Thomas Pinckney. Hamilton definitely did not want to see his political rival Thomas Jefferson become president, yet furthermore he did not care for John Adams either. John Adams was Washington's vice president, a fellow Federalist, and the obvious choice to become the next president, however Hamilton disliked him for personal reasons. Nonetheless Hamilton's plot to see Pinckney become president completely backfired and both the candidates he disliked (Adams and Jefferson) became president and vice president. Pinckney finished 3rd in the presidential elections and Aaron Burr finished a distant fourth.
Post-Secretary Years and Major General
During the presidency of John Adams, Hamilton still played a very influential role in overseeing the government's administration. He kept a correspondence with George Washington in Mont Vernon which once again proved to be beneficial to Hamilton's cause. During the Quasi War of 1798, there was a great fear that Napoleon's France would invade the United States and thus President John Adams recalled George Washington to once again lead the American Army. Washington gladly accepted the post from his home in Mount Vernon on one condition that Hamilton serve as the major general.
Thus John Adams reluctantly appointed Hamilton as the major general who also unofficially assumed the role as chief commander after George Washington died in 1799. There was no question the influential power Hamilton had at this point, including the loyalty of Adam's Secretary of War James McHenry and Secretary of State Timothy Pickering. However fortunately John Adams was able to diffuse the whole situation by avoiding war with France, which was perhaps his greatest achievement as president.
The presidential election of 1800 marked the first time the president could run with the vice president of his choosing, bringing an end to the bi-partisan partnership of Jefferson and Adams. Adams sought to run for re-election while Jefferson ran against him as the candidate of the Democratic-Republican party. Once again Hamilton hoped to influence the election by putting Charles Pinckney (elder brother of Thomas) over John Adams. However this ultimately divided the Federalist party and resulted in the election of Thomas Jefferson, with the New York Senator, Aaron Burr as his vice president.
Duel with Aaron Burr
Hamilton's fortune had greatly begun to decline after resigning as Secretary of Treasury. In 1797 he became involved in one of the first major public sex scandals, when the Hamilton-Reynolds affair was made public. This affair with Maria Reynolds had actually happened from 1791 to 1792, by which Maria's husband learned of it and sought to bribe Alexander years later. The affair was closed by a money settlement however the scandal was made public by journalists that exposed Hamilton's honor and affected his reputation. Hamilton was able to make peace with his wife, yet this major scandal severely affected his chance to run for public office. Things grew even more dire for Hamilton when his own son, Philip died in a duel in 1801.
The death of Washington, can no doubt be accredited to Hamilton's sharp decline of favor. At this point he had lost control of his Federalist party, and had more enemies than allies including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and especially Aaron Burr. The rivalry with Aaron Burr and Hamilton dated as far back as their early association as law students in New York. However it reached an even worse state when Aaron Burr defeated Hamilton's father-in-law for New York Senator in 1791. In the presidential election of 1800, Hamilton considered Jefferson over Burr as the lesser of two-evils. Burr eventually loss favor with Jefferson and did not return as VP, furthermore he unsuccessfully ran for governor of New York in 1804. By this point Hamilton had made his distasteful opinion on Burr quite public, with various character attacks which ultimately led to an arranged duel.
I suppose it's fair to say that both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were on the downturn at this point, and an attack on their honor was the final straw. Furthermore they both had a strong dislike of the other for some time, and it appeared the duel was unavoidable. The practice of dueling was quite common in this age of honor, especially among the upper class. Hamilton refused to recant his slander on Burr's character and appear as a coward, so thus he accepted the duel. However he also planned to "throw away" his shot as an honorable gesture to withdraw from the challenge. The duel took place on July 11th, 1804 along the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey.
The account of the duel is rather mixed and the end result was that Hamilton's shot went above Burr's head, while Burr's shot fatally wounded him in the abdomen. Who shot first is subject to debate, and there are questions whether or not Hamilton intentionally threw away his shot and Burr intentionally ignored this gesture and went for the kill. Nonetheless Hamilton died the day after from internal bleeding on July 12th, 1804 at the young age of 49. His wife Eliza mourned his death, however preserved his legacy and went on to establish the first orphanage in New York. In regards to Hamilton's life it's clear to me now that he played a vital role in the establishment of our government, yet ultimately he was blinded by his own over-ambition.
Now what inspired me to make a deep study into his life was watching the 2015 musical Hamilton. I have heard of this critically acclaimed Broadway Musical for several years now and just watched it for my first time on Disney Plus a couple months ago. Honestly the first time I watched it I was not very impressed with it's unique hip-hop style. Nothing against bebop and rap, but with musicals I usually prefer the traditional harmony and show-tune format. Also it was very long at a resounding 3 hours and eventually lost my full attention half way in. However just a week ago I gave this musical another try as I am still in the midst of my fascination with the American Revolution. And this time I got a better understanding of the setting, the characters, and the remarkably interesting story of Alexander Hamilton.
The musical was written and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda a major up-and-comer known for his musical work of In the Heights, Moana, Mary Poppins, and the Disney Star Wars films. Miranda was inspired to create this musical from reading Ron Chernow's 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton. I also hope to someday read this book, but for now I derive most my understanding of Hamilton's life from the musical. The play depicts Hamilton's ambitious rise to the top, as an orphan immigrant from the Caribbean islands who studies law in New York. From the on-set it is clear that his own ambition is his downfall as he establishes a rivalry with notable figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The musical also brings new light to his partnership with George Washington, which I was not aware that Hamilton was Washington's political right-hand man. The show also gives a deep insight into his personal life and his marriage to Eliza Schuyler.Although I still probably wouldn't have this musical in my top 10 favorites, (not quite at the level of Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, or even Greatest Showman) I am starting to enjoy it more and more. While the musical numbers mostly have a catchy be-bop style there are also elements of traditional show tune harmony. I especially enjoy the songs "Dear Theodisa" and "Quiet Uptown" with the beautiful singing of Phillipa Soo. However what I enjoy most about this musical is the in-depth historical account of the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton. So now just as I did with Ben Franklin and George Washington, I'm going to run thru the various phases of his life from beginning to end.
Early Life in the Caribbean
Alexander Hamilton was born in the Caribbean Islands of Nevis in 1755, in the city of Charlestown. He was born out of wedlock to a British/French mother named Rachel Faucette and a Scotsman lord named James Hamilton. However his father James quickly abandoned Alexander due to the scandalous affair and left his mother to raise him Alexander. She relocated to the Virgin Islands, and established a store in the city of Christansted, St. Croix. However in 1768 at the age of 13, Alexander's mother died of the yellow fever leaving him as an orphan.As a young teenager Alexander found work as a clerk at a local import-export company. He quickly developed a knack for business trade and during this time he began an interest in reading books and writing. Although he was not properly educated he excelled early in the skill of writing, and in 1772 he published a letter in the Royal Danish-American Gazette which brought him great attention in the Caribbean. His essay pertaining to a hurricane that had hit the island of Nevis, was the catalyst that launched him to bigger things. The community leaders collected a fund to send Alexander to study abroad in New York.
Arrival and Education in New York
Alexander Hamilton arrived in Boston in 1772, then traveled to New York where he found residency with Hercules Mulligan (who was a member of the Sons of Liberty and later became a spy during the Revolutionary War). Alexander found work in the city as cargo merchant and enrolled in a preparatory school in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. During this time he took the liking of a very influential politician and revolutionist William Livingston (who later became governor of New Jersey from 1776-1790). It was perhaps thru this association that Hamilton was able to enroll in the prestigious King's College of New York in 1774 (which would later become the Ivy League school of Colombia).During his time at Colombia University, Hamilton established a literary and debate society, that became the famous Philolexian Society (one of the oldest student groups in the country). He also began publishing political essays in opposition to British taxes and loyalist ideals. It was during this time that Hamilton partook in the patriotic fervor spreading throughout Boston, New York, and the colonies. He was more than eager to join the revolution in some capacity and establish a new legacy for his name. Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord in mid 1775, Hamilton joined the New York militia and his law practice came to a pause as he began his military service with the Continental Army.
Service in American Revolutionary War
Hamilton and the other students of King's College established the volunteer regiment known as the Hearts of Oak. He quickly transformed his interests away from legal practice and onto military tactics which brought him a promotion to captain. He later led a successful raid on British cannons, which established the Hearts of Oak as an artillery company. The regiment took part in defending the British Siege of Boston in 1776 as well as the victorious Continental victories at Trenton and Princeton in 1777. He later refused invitations to work for Nathaniel Greene and Alexander McDougall, however could not pass up a request from General Washington to become his aid as lieutenant colonel. Although Hamilton preferred to fight on the battlefields with glory and honor he quickly garnished the trust of General Washington as his chief staff aide. This was more office work, located in the general's headquarters, that required writing letters to Congress and other prominent leaders. He also wrote letters pertaining to secret intelligence as well as diplomatic emissaries to France. During this time he established a strong correspondence with his fellow aides-de-camp Marquis de Lafayette and John Laurens from South Carolina. In December of 1778 Hamilton supported John Laurens in a duel with General Charles Lee for slandering Washington's name.
Law Practice in New York
By March of 1782 with the war coming to an end, Hamilton resigned his position in the military and returned to New York to finish his study of law. Within six months he had passed the legal bar exam and accepted a post working for the New York Congress of Confederation. This was the new branch of congress that replaced the Continental Congress in ordinance with the Articles of Confederation. However despite his proud role to litigate for his new nation, Hamilton was an early critic of this constitutional government early on. He essentially felt it gave states too much independence from one another, and felt there should be more of a unified government.
During his legal practice in New York, Hamilton mostly defended loyalists and British soldiers. He helped re-instate King's College which took on it's new Ivy League name of Colombia College. He also in 1784 founded the Bank of New York, which has become the oldest still-existing bank in America. Alexander married Elizabeth Schuyler the wealthy daughter of General Philip Schuyler (who later became senator of New York from 1789-1791). During their residency in New York, Alexander and Eliza had 8 children, including their elder son Philip (who would die at the very young age of 19 in a duel).Hamilton also worked vigorously to improve soldier funding and threatened congress that if they did not provide the funds the military could lead a coup. Washington however, always the level-headed compromiser, refused to use the army as leverage and found a middle ground between Congress and the military reparations. This however did not fully solve the agitation among Continental soldiers who continued to threaten the congress for better pay. Thus Hamilton furthered his call for a new federal government that could collect taxes and establish an army. Hamilton also introduced the idea of separating the three major branches of power; legislative, executive, and judicial. This paved the way for his key involvement in the US Constitution.
Constitution and The Federalist Papers
The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia in May of 1787 and was intended as an amendment to the Articles of Confederation Convention. However key figures such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton sought to establish an entirely new system of government. George Washington was chosen to preside over the assembly, and sided with Madison and Hamilton's desire to establish a new federal constitution. Hamilton was at odds with the other delegates from New York who favored more state authority. Furthermore Hamilton pushed for a president-for-life, whose power could be balanced by impeachment if need-be. This idea was also shared by John Adams, however ultimately was considered too similar to the British monarchy and rejected by James Madison and even the future president, Washington himself. While not fully satisfied with the draft of the Constitution, Hamilton still felt it a major improvement from the Articles of Confederation and thus signed it. He then worked tirelessly to urge other congressional delegates to ratify this new constitution. It was during this time in October of 1787 that Hamilton along with James Madison and John Jay began to publish a series of essays defending the new constitution known as the Federalist Papers. The essays were published anonymously in the Independent Journal under the pseudonym of Publius. Hamilton oversaw the project and wrote 51 essays while James Madison wrote 29 and John Jay wrote 5. This became the start of the nation's first political party, the Federalists. Hamilton finally achieved his goal when the Constitution was officially ratified on June 21st, 1788.
US Secretary of Treasury
With the establishment of the new United States government in 1789, George Washington was chosen as the first president. Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton as the US Secretary of Treasury and also served as the president's chief consultant. It was during his tenure as Secretary that Hamilton established the administration of the government, much the reason he is considered a founding father. As the overseer of finance he established the first national bank, the public credit, the production of coinage, the establishment of currency, industrial manufacturing, as well as the trade of imports-and-exports. To contain coastal smuggling and piracy he established the Revenue Cutter Service which served as a coastal police force and the predecessor to the present day enforcement branch known as the US Coastal Guard. However despite his alliance with the most powerful and respected man in the nation, President Washington, Hamilton made many enemies during his tenure as secretary. This especially included Thomas Jefferson, who had returned from his post of ambassador to France to serve as Washington's Secretary of State. Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed on various political matters pertaining to federal vs state authority, federal taxes, and foreign intervention. In response to Hamilton's Federalist party, Jefferson and Madison formed the Democratic-Republican Party. The first major political opposition came in response to Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey which led to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. While the US Army was able to squash the resistance, it demonstrated new internal conflicts within the young nation.
Shortly after the John Jay Treaty, Washington came to the decision that he would not seek a third term. This came to a great disappointing shock to Hamilton, who had hoped Washington would preside for life. Washington however had grown weary of the political infighting furthermore wanted to set a precedent against the abuse of executive power. Hamilton thus also resigned from the office of Secretary and helped write Washington's Farewell Address which he delivered in 1796.
While Hamilton left public office to return to the private sector, he was still very much invested in the political governing of the nation. He thus intended to coordinate Washington's replacement with the candidate of his choice, the popular general and Federalist from South Carolina, Thomas Pinckney. Hamilton definitely did not want to see his political rival Thomas Jefferson become president, yet furthermore he did not care for John Adams either. John Adams was Washington's vice president, a fellow Federalist, and the obvious choice to become the next president, however Hamilton disliked him for personal reasons. Nonetheless Hamilton's plot to see Pinckney become president completely backfired and both the candidates he disliked (Adams and Jefferson) became president and vice president. Pinckney finished 3rd in the presidential elections and Aaron Burr finished a distant fourth.
Post-Secretary Years and Major General
During the presidency of John Adams, Hamilton still played a very influential role in overseeing the government's administration. He kept a correspondence with George Washington in Mont Vernon which once again proved to be beneficial to Hamilton's cause. During the Quasi War of 1798, there was a great fear that Napoleon's France would invade the United States and thus President John Adams recalled George Washington to once again lead the American Army. Washington gladly accepted the post from his home in Mount Vernon on one condition that Hamilton serve as the major general.Thus John Adams reluctantly appointed Hamilton as the major general who also unofficially assumed the role as chief commander after George Washington died in 1799. There was no question the influential power Hamilton had at this point, including the loyalty of Adam's Secretary of War James McHenry and Secretary of State Timothy Pickering. However fortunately John Adams was able to diffuse the whole situation by avoiding war with France, which was perhaps his greatest achievement as president.
The presidential election of 1800 marked the first time the president could run with the vice president of his choosing, bringing an end to the bi-partisan partnership of Jefferson and Adams. Adams sought to run for re-election while Jefferson ran against him as the candidate of the Democratic-Republican party. Once again Hamilton hoped to influence the election by putting Charles Pinckney (elder brother of Thomas) over John Adams. However this ultimately divided the Federalist party and resulted in the election of Thomas Jefferson, with the New York Senator, Aaron Burr as his vice president.
Duel with Aaron Burr
Hamilton's fortune had greatly begun to decline after resigning as Secretary of Treasury. In 1797 he became involved in one of the first major public sex scandals, when the Hamilton-Reynolds affair was made public. This affair with Maria Reynolds had actually happened from 1791 to 1792, by which Maria's husband learned of it and sought to bribe Alexander years later. The affair was closed by a money settlement however the scandal was made public by journalists that exposed Hamilton's honor and affected his reputation. Hamilton was able to make peace with his wife, yet this major scandal severely affected his chance to run for public office. Things grew even more dire for Hamilton when his own son, Philip died in a duel in 1801.The death of Washington, can no doubt be accredited to Hamilton's sharp decline of favor. At this point he had lost control of his Federalist party, and had more enemies than allies including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and especially Aaron Burr. The rivalry with Aaron Burr and Hamilton dated as far back as their early association as law students in New York. However it reached an even worse state when Aaron Burr defeated Hamilton's father-in-law for New York Senator in 1791. In the presidential election of 1800, Hamilton considered Jefferson over Burr as the lesser of two-evils. Burr eventually loss favor with Jefferson and did not return as VP, furthermore he unsuccessfully ran for governor of New York in 1804. By this point Hamilton had made his distasteful opinion on Burr quite public, with various character attacks which ultimately led to an arranged duel.
I suppose it's fair to say that both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were on the downturn at this point, and an attack on their honor was the final straw. Furthermore they both had a strong dislike of the other for some time, and it appeared the duel was unavoidable. The practice of dueling was quite common in this age of honor, especially among the upper class. Hamilton refused to recant his slander on Burr's character and appear as a coward, so thus he accepted the duel. However he also planned to "throw away" his shot as an honorable gesture to withdraw from the challenge. The duel took place on July 11th, 1804 along the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey.The account of the duel is rather mixed and the end result was that Hamilton's shot went above Burr's head, while Burr's shot fatally wounded him in the abdomen. Who shot first is subject to debate, and there are questions whether or not Hamilton intentionally threw away his shot and Burr intentionally ignored this gesture and went for the kill. Nonetheless Hamilton died the day after from internal bleeding on July 12th, 1804 at the young age of 49. His wife Eliza mourned his death, however preserved his legacy and went on to establish the first orphanage in New York. In regards to Hamilton's life it's clear to me now that he played a vital role in the establishment of our government, yet ultimately he was blinded by his own over-ambition.
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